Happinessiscontagious，researchersreportedonThursday．Peoplewiththemostsocialconnections-spouses，friends，neighborsandrelatives-werealsothehappiest，thedatashowed．"Eachadditionalhappypersonmakesyouhappier，"C

　　Happiness is contagious，researchers reported on Thursday．

　　People with the most social connections-spouses，friends，neighbors and relatives-were also the happiest，the data showed．"Each additional happy person makes you happier，"Christakis said．

　　"Imagine that I am connected to you and you are connected to others and others are connected to still others．It is this fabric of humanity，like an American patch quilt．"

　　Each person sits on a different colored patch．"Imagine that these patches are happy and unhappy patches．Your happiness depends on what is going on in the patch around you，"Christakis said．

　　"It is not just happy people connecting with happy people，which they do．Above and beyond，there is this contagious process going on．"

　　And happiness is more contagious than unhappiness，they discovered．

　　"If a social contact is happy，it increases the likelihood that you are happy by 15percent，"Fowler said．"A friend of a friend，or the friend of a spouse or a sibling （兄弟姐妹），if they are happy，increases your chances by 10percent，"he added．

　　A happy third degree friend-the friend of a friend of a friend-increases a person's chances of being happy by 6percent．

　　"But every extra unhappy friend increases the likelihood that you'll be unhappy by 7percent，"Fowler said．

　　The finding is interesting and it is useful，too，Fowler said．

　　"Among other benefits，happiness has been shown to have an important effect on reduced mortality （死亡率），pairi reduction and improved cardiac （心脏的）fimetion．So better understanding of how happiness spreads can help us learn how to promote a healthier society，"he said．

　　The study also fits in with other data suggested in 1984that having﹩5，000extra increased a person's chances of becoming happier by about 2percent．

　　"A happy friend is worth about﹩20，000，"Christakis said．